There are no hard rules for AFI‘s list of Top 10 programs of the year as the film institute tends to mix critical darlings with crowd pleasers, series, miniseries and TV movies. (Cable ratings juggernauts The Walking Dead and American Horror Story: Asylum made the AFI Awards list last year, along with the HBO movie Game Change). No longform entries on this year’s list, which features one major surprise — the omission of ABC’s Emmy-winning Modern Family, which had been among AFI’s Top 10 programs each of the past four years. Also MIA this season is Showtime’s drama Homeland, which made the cut the last two years. This is the most drama-heavy AFI list I can remember, with only one half-hour series, HBO’s Veep. (Netflix’s hourlong Orange Is The New Black was nominated as a comedy by the WGA but is competing as a drama for the Golden Globes and the Emmys.)

The guilty pleasure on the roster is ABC’s hot sophomore dramaScandal, landing its first major best series awards recognition. The rest of the series have been in top awards consideration and received WGA noms last week, with the exception Game Of Thrones, which was not in the running due to a submission error. Returning from last year are Game Of Thrones, Emmy winner Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Here is the full list:

THE AMERICANS
BREAKING BAD
GAME OF THRONES
THE GOOD WIFE
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
MASTERS OF SEX
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
SCANDAL
VEEP

After Breaking Bad, some of the most tweeted shows this fall have been the Voice, Jimmy Kimmel, Glee, Dancing With the Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, X Factor…where are those shows on the AFI list?

Glad to see SCANDAL on there ! Best show Ever ! Not an opinion , that is fact ! Kerry Washington has broke a barrier that not many can build again . She has outdone herself and anyone else . That show truly deserves to be #1 ! No Doubt !